THREAD:

Why has Trump been so eager to reopen churches since Easter?

It's because of an under-the-radar operation called the American Renewal Project.

ARP is a key part of a political operation that has indoctrinated pastors who are actively working to re-elect Trump. /1

Yes, the cat's out of the bag.

Christian Dominionists have data on 200 million US voters, command tens of thousands of activist pastors, run their own social media site & have Donald Trump's ear.

A "stealth weapon" who's key to the movement & Team Trump is ARP's David Lane. /2

Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA let it slip that Trump is being influenced by and indeed *gets* what dominionists are all about:

"Finally we have a president that understands the seven mountains of cultural influence."

Govt, Media, Education, Business, A&E, Church, Family. /3

It is these seven mountains of culture that dominionists are intent on taking over, as they believe doing so will accelerate the return of Christ.

Kirk's slip-up is how I learned about his connection to and the important role of David Lane, a dominionist political operative. /4

In Jan 2020, Kirk spoke at Rediscovering God in America, a "Pastors and Pews" event.

Lane's American Renewal Project organizes these events to "get pastors more actively engaged in turning their congregants into conservative voters." /5

Specifically, David Lane has sought $22 million for ARP to increase Christian voter turnout in 2020 in the following 10 battleground states:

FL, OH, PA, MO, NC, WI, MI, GA, AZ & IA

Lane "claims ARP increased 'Christian turnout' by 5 to 7% in half a dozen key states in 2016." /6

In fact, Trump (along w/ Marco Rubio) was invited to address 700 pastors and their spouses at ARP's "Rediscovering God in America" event held in Orlando in Aug 2016.

And Pence reportedly credited ARP with helping Trump win in 2016. /7

Prior to the ARP event in Orlando, Lane indicated he planned "to quiz Trump on how he plans to fight 'homosexual totalitarianism' and the gay rights 'militants'."

Notice a similarity between Lane's language & Bill Barr's repeated use of the phrase "militant secularists"? /8

Less than 2 weeks after meeting with Trump in Orlando, Lane's ARP raised "nearly $10M to conduct a church-based voter registration and GOTV drive in six target states"!

FL, OH, PA, VA, NC & IA /9

In the weeks following this article's publication, "Trump and Mike Pence will be invited to at least half a dozen similar 'Pastors and Pews' events, which are designed to energize politcally active conservative evangelical pastors." /10

In his own words, Lane explains ARP began with Rick Perry in 2005 and that 20k pastors, plus spouses, have been guests at Pastors and Pews events.

These events "are the transmission agent for voter registration, GOTV and voter guides through the leadership of local pastors." /11

ARP also is also behind a project called Issachar Training, "which provides pastors and local leaders with the help and tools to run for political office."

"The goal for 2020 (and onward) is to have 1,000 pastors running for local office." /12

Lane seeks a "full-impact collision between the two rival religions in America of Christianity and secularism. Since each worldview is expansive and evangelistic, there will be no reconciliation of opposites with God; one will ultimately end in the eradication of the other." /13

ARP's Articles of Incorporation were signed by American Family Association's general counsel Patrick Vaughn and AFA's Founder & Chairman Donald Wildmon.

Lane's efforts have been impacting elections under the radar for years, and his infiltration of the GOP goes pretty deep. /14

ARP/AFA's Lane invited 168 members of the RNC to a "weeklong all-expenses paid trip to Israel" in Jan/Feb 2015, which ended up being attended by 60 members.

Lane has been accompanied on his trips to Israel or other nations by Rand Paul, Huckabee, and Perry. /15

Despite my knowing AFA is behind ARP, ARP's structure is clouded by its being part of a nonprofit org called Vineyard Outreach America.

VOA is an "association of churches" whose "mission is to create a national effort to bring solid, Christian values to the public square... "/16

This allows ARP to not have to publicly report any of its activity on a Form 990 b/c it is technically an "association of churches" not subject to this requirement.

Yet Lane is arguably being funded by secret donors to transform churches into "partisan political cells." /17

That said, beyond AFA, additional funders of ARP have been identified in various pieces over the years.

Dan and Farris Wilks attended the Pastor and Pews event in Iowa in 2013 led by Lane, and Dan had since donated at least $1.9M for Pastors & Pews events. /18

At a Mar 2011 Pastors' Policy Briefing sponsored by Lane's Iowa Renewal Project, Lane said:

"What we're doing with the pastor meetings, but the end result is political. From my perspective, our country is going to hell because pastors won't lead from the pulpits." /19

AFA is "co-sponsor of [ARP's] pastor meetings and maintained e-mail contact with 40,000 to 60,000 pastors nationwide."

Very good chance that 60k count is related to my thread here, in which I detail how UiP deviously obtained church membership rolls: /20
https://twitter.com/visionsurreal/status/1215450374339022848?s=19

Lane "secured hundreds of thousands of dollars from the political action committees of Mr. Gingrich and the [AFA] and devised a broad strategy, bringing together [Ralph Reed's] Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, which provided voter guides to churches..." /21
https://twitter.com/visionsurreal/status/1085952967667318785?s=19

Highlights of the Iowa Pastors' Policy
Briefing "were broadcast online on Mar 26 [2011] by crowds gathered in 177 churches around the country by a California based-group called United in Purpose, which shares the goal of drawing pastors into politics." /22

"The audience [of the Iowa Pastors' Policy Briefing] heard how to push their flocks to register and vote along 'biblical principles' without running afoul of laws against endorsing candidates from the pulpit." /23

That Lanes's ARP was working with UiP & FFC as far back as 2011 is not at all lost on me. They are all part of the same whole--part of what is essentially a networked political operation:

ARP/AFA = Pastor Network

UiP = Voter Data Center

FFC = Microtargeting & Voter Contact /24

ARP & UiP are led by Christian Dominionists, but technically it should be known that Lane's 2011 The Response event was "largely organized by top leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a movement that has evolved from historic Pentecostal and Charismatic evangelism." /25

"Many of the NAR leaders are open about cultural and political dominion over the rest of society..."

UiP's Jim Garlow, an NAR leader, was involved in organizing Lane's 2011 event. /26

"[Lane's] Pastor Policy Briefings are all-expense-paid events for clergy and their spouses, intended to ground conservative clergy in the dominionist worldview of the organizers, and to showcase candidates who are likely to appeal to the Christian Right."

Pastors are targets./27

ARP--"an association of churches"--won two 2017 Pollie awards for its evangelical turnout.

Two national *political* firms--Murphy Nascia & Associates (MNA) and Victory Enterprises (VE)--"joined forces to help ARP reach their goal of setting records for evangelical turnout." /28

MNA won an award for "Best GOTV Field Program" for "their nationwide grassroots efforts" which spanned 65 days and was comprised of a 130-person ARP team. /29

VE won an award for "GOTV Direct Mail" for "a Missouri state voter guide."

Over the years, VE has helped various GOP candidates win state and federal elections. /30

This is why Trump has wanted churches packed since Easter.

If pews aren't full of voters who can be targeted by pastors who've been co-opted by political operatives supporting Trump, what good are they?

Trump's political life defends on churchgoers risking their own. /31x

@threader_app - please compile for tax-exempt status.

#PartXI